Abba Kyari, former head of Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector-General of Police, has reacted to the reports that suspected fraudster, Ramon Abbas also known as Hushpuppi, gave him N8 million bribe.
Kyari, a deputy commissioner of police (DCP), had come under fire after Huspuppi, who is being tried in the US, alleged that he bribed the officer to arrest Vincent Chibuzo, a co-fraudster.
US officials said during interrogation, Hushpuppi disclosed that he gave Kyari money to arrest and jail “one of his rivals in Nigeria after a dispute over a $1.1 million scam on Qatari businesspeople.”
In an initial post on his verified Facebook account, Kyari denied receiving money from Hushpuppi, and that the Instagram celebrity only called his office about two years ago that somebody in Nigeria “threatened to kill his family here”.
Read Also: Suspended Abba Kyari Deletes Facebook Post Claiming He ‘Assisted Hushpuppi To Buy N300,000 Clothes’
Kyari said the suspect was trailed and arrested, but after investigation, they discovered there was no actual threat to anyone’s life and “they are long-time friends who have money issues between them hence we released the suspect on bail”.
The senior officer also said later Hushpuppi “saw some of my native clothes and caps on my social media page and he said he likes them and he was connected to the person selling the clothes and he sent about N300k directly to the person’s account”.
However, additional details that emerged after his statement heavily contradicted his claims, with cellphone records extracted from Hushpuppi’s phone showing the two had an extensive relationship.
The US investigators stated that based on a review of the messages shared, it appears that Hushpuppi interacted with Kyari in September 2019, when Kyari traveled to United Arab Emirates.
Read Also: FBI Reveals How Hushpuppi Hosted DCP Kyari In Dubai
In a new turn, Kyari, whose warrant of arrest and extradition has been issued, edited the initial post on Tuesday evening, before he eventually deleted it on Wednesday.
Removing the part where he said Hushpuppi sent N300,000 for clothes, the senior police officer claimed his office was contacted a second time to help recover N8 million.
Read Also: Abba Kyari Collected N8m From Hushpuppi To Detain Chibuzo – FBI
Kyari wrote;
Nobody demanded or collected any money from Abbas Hushpuppi. He can be interviewed publicly in the presence of the world media by the people holding him to confirm this.
He also called for another case in June 2020 and complained about a financial transaction with a second person whom he said his friend sent 8 million naira to and pleaded for his friend’s money to be recovered. He sent transaction slips and other evidences to prove their case against the person.
Read Also: Court Document Shows How FBI Identified DCP Abba Kyari In Hushpuppi’s Money Laundering Scheme
He added;
All these can be verified from the Hushpuppi since he is still in custody. And it can be verified from person who collected 8 million naira from Hushpuppi’s friend whom they complained about is alive and is in Nigeria.
However, Kyari later took down the entire post which had garnered tens of thousands of reactions, both in his favour and against, and he did not explain why he deleted it.
The once-celebrated 46-year-old policeman has been the subject of ridicule, especially on social media, since the news of his relationship with Hushpuppi emerged.
He is currently being grilled by a panel set up to probe the allegations.
Read Also: Breaking: IGP Appoints DCP Tunji Disu To Replace Abba Kyari As IRT Head
On Monday, the Inspector-General of Police replaced him with Tunji Disu, a former Commander of the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos, as the IRT head.
